In the world of art, the origin of an artifact, i.e. that each artifact can be assigned to a particular artist, is enormously important, both to determine the actual authorship and to judge the value of an artifact, and also from an art historian's point-of-view. The artist, as the author or creator of the artifact, owns comprehensive rights in and to this artifact that are not lost even after the artifact has been sold off. Furthermore, art historians are also interested in the true origin of a work of art, since in many cases, in particular with older works of art, the artist who created these works of art, can no longer be determined without doubt. This can be due either to a lack or the forgery of a signature, or to the fact that eminent masters had a great number of diligent students whose task it was to finish parts or even whole works of art, which were then still signed by the artists, Rembrandt being an excellent case in point. In these cases, investigative techniques based on the highest technological standard are used to verify the artifacts. It is thus quite frequent to X-ray pictures, and infrared radiation is also often used to identify the water marks of paper mills. Materials irradiated with UV light emit fluorescent light in various colors which may thus be used to identify the material on which the work of art is based. This allows conclusions to be drawn as to the artist in question. Further methods for the identification of forgeries are thermoluminescence analysis, complex chemical analyses or the examination of the work of art under a microscope.
These methods are very complex and expensive, however, and also have to be carried out in suitable locations, usually laboratories, i.e. locations that are designed in such a manner that the radiation does not cause damage to the health of personnel, or rooms with a controlled climate, so that due care is given to maintaining the condition of the picture.
On the other hand, art experts can often determine the authorship of an artifact, in particular a picture, solely with their expert eye. In the course of their training and professional experience they have acquired the ability to recognize an artist as the author of a particular picture. The application of paint, linework and brushwork are some characteristics that are salient for an artist and facilitate identification of his or her works. Brushwork is generally a term used for the linework in painting. It can express the importance of individual areas of the image for the artist in question. For example, the linework of a picture can be finer when it is used for the face, than the linework the artist has used for clothing. This is an indication that the artist is particularly interested in working out the facial expression or the face itself. The brushwork is thus like the artist's personal trademark. Amongst other characteristics, it can also encompass the brushstrokes, the linework, the lightness and the strength of the brush pressure. An artifact, in particular a picture, can be identified with the aid of the artist's, and thus the author's, personal trademark, which then allows the assignment of proper authorship. Currently this is only possible by the personal examination of the picture by a professional's expert eye. For this purpose, the art expert has to study the painting to the smallest detail and has to examine it thoroughly. This process is time consuming and usually very expensive, since art experts are highly qualified professionals.
It is thus the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method which assigns a given picture from a set of likewise predetermined artists to the artist who has created the picture.